Author: Calleen Hough

Zacchaeus’ encounter with God

The Gospel according to Luke includes many details about Jesus’ life that are not included in the other two synoptic gospels, the books that were written by Matthew and Mark. The level of detail that Luke went into about the things that Jesus did help us to link things together and to get a clearer picture of what kind of person Jesus was from a human perspective. One of the events that Luke recorded was an encounter Jesus had with a man named Zacchaeus. Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was rich. Leading up to his story about Zacchaeus, Luke shared other information that was relevant to our understanding of what Jesus was doing when he looked up at Zacchaeus sitting in a sycamore tree and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5).

Luke’s rendition of Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow concluded with Jesus asking the question, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). We don’t know whether Jesus was referring to his first coming or his second coming, but we do know that Jesus found very little faith during his three-year ministry on earth and will likely find even less faith when he comes a second time to interact with fallen humanity. Jesus’ question is an indicator that he was looking for faith when he was here before, and will be looking for it again, when he returns to establish his kingdom on earth. That’s why the situations where Jesus found faith are highlighted in the gospels, and Luke went to even greater lengths to help us see and understand what faith looked like in Jesus’ encounters with the people around him.

Luke stated in his introduction to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, that Jesus told this parable “to some who trusted that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). In this parable, the tax collector is depicted as “standing far off” and Jesus said he “beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13). The tax collector recognized that he was a sinner and knew that he needed God’s mercy. Jesus concluded the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector with the statement, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). The Greek word that is translated justified, dikaioo (dik-ah-yoˊ-o) is “spoken especially of the justification bestowed by God on men through Christ, in which he is said to regard and treat them as righteous, i.e. to absolve from the consequences of sin and admit to the enjoyment of the divine favor” (G1344). It says of justification in Romans 4:4-8:

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
    and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Paul went on to explain that being justified by faith means that we have access to God’s grace and are saved from the wrath of God, including the wrath of God that will be poured out on all of  mankind during the Great Tribulation (Romans 5:1-11). Paul concluded his discussion of justification with the famous verses of Romans 8:26-30. Paul told the Roman believers, “ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, becausethe Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

The tax collector who beat his breast and cried out, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) openly displayed the kind of repentance that is necessary for justification to take place and also, mirrored the intercession of the Holy Spirit described by Paul as “groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Luke contrasted this example of genuine belief with that of infants who were being brought to Jesus so that he could bless them (Luke 18:15). The Greek term that Luke used to refer to the children who were being brought to Jesus, brephos (brefˊ-os) is “spoken of a child yet unborn, a fetus (Luke 1:41, 44); usually an infant, babe, suckling (Luke 2:12, 16; 18:15; Acts 7:19; 2 Timothy 3:15). Used metaphorically of those who have just embraced the Christian religion (1 Peter 2:2 [cf. 1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12, 13])” (G1025). Luke tells us, “But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it’” (Luke 18:16-17).

Luke tells us that when Jesus encountered Zacchaeus, he was sitting in a sycamore tree. Luke said Zacchaeus, “was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass by” (Luke 19:2-4). The phrase small in stature refers to Zacchaeus’ “maturity (in years or size)” (G2244). Luke identified Zacchaeus as a man, but he may have just been a male individual who was no longer considered to be a child because he was employed by the Roman government as a tax collector and owned his own residence. Zacchaeus may have been as young as 16 or 17 years old, perhaps the same age as the majority of Jesus’ twelve disciples. The fact that Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see Jesus tells that he was either still young enough to do the things that a child would or Zacchaeus was childlike in his approach to overcoming the obstacle of not being able to see Jesus when he passed by.

Luke provided yet another contrast in the stories he shared leading up to Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus in the context of a rich ruler who wanted to go to heaven. The rich ruler asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18) suggesting that he was interested in becoming a member of God’s family. The rich ruler told Jesus that he had kept all of God’s commandments from his youth (Luke 18:21), but when the rich ruler heard that he would have to sell all of his possessions and distribute his wealth to the poor in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, “he became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:22). Jesus then, told his disciples, “’How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’ Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But he said, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God’” (Luke 18:24-27). The Greek word that is translated impossible, adunatos (ad-ooˊ-nat-os) is the negative form of the word dunatos (doo-nat-osˊ) which is translated possible, indicating that this couldn’t happen. Jesus was telling his disciples that it was not possible for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. That’s why they responded, “Then who can be saved?” (Luke 18:26).

Luke’s description of Zacchaeus as a man who was both “a chief tax collector” and “rich” (Luke 19:1) was essentially setting the scene for a miraculous transformation to take place. Luke tells us that after he came down from the sycamore tree, “Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ (Luke 19:8). Zacchaeus volunteered to do what Jesus told the rich ruler he needed to in order to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:22-24). The difference between Zacchaeus and the rich ruler was that Zacchaeus knew who Jesus was and realized that he was having a face to face encounter with God. When Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5), his words had a big impact on Zacchaeus because they were filled with love and compassion. Everyone likely shunned Zacchaeus because he was helping the Roman government oppress the people of Israel. Luke identified Zacchaeus as a chief tax collector, meaning that he was a person of influence and authority with regard to collecting Roman taxes and had become rich as a result of it. Surprisingly, Jesus’ response to Zacchaeus wasn’t harsh or critical. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10). In the Christian sense, salvation or soteria in the Greek, “is deliverance from sin and its spiritual consequences and admission to eternal life with blessedness in the kingdom of Christ” (G4991). Zacchaeus was a sinner, what Jesus described as a person who was lost, but Zacchaeus had an obvious change of heart. Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus caused him to repent of his sin and to seek a new way of life. We aren’t told what happened to Zacchaeus after he was saved, but we know that his encounter with God resulted in him doing the impossible, entering into God’s kingdom.

An internal kingdom

Jesus told his followers parables about the kingdom of God so that they would be convinced of its existence, even though there was no physical evidence to verify that it was real. When he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or “There!’ for behold the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:20-21). The Greek word that is translated in the midst, entos (en-tosˊ) means “inside” (G1787). One of the primary parables that Jesus used to explain the internal workings of God’s kingdom was the parable of the sower. Jesus said, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold” (Luke 8:5-8). When Jesus’ disciples asked him what the parable meant, Jesus told them, “To you has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:10-12).

Jesus identified the seed in his parable of the sower as the word of God and said that its intended location was people’s hearts, where it would enable them to believe and be saved. From this we can conclude that the kingdom of God being inside us has to do with God ruling and reigning over people’s hearts. The heart is “the seat and center of circulation, and therefore human life” In the New Testament of the Bible, the term heart is used only figuratively: “As the seat of desires, feelings, affections, passions, impulses, i.e. the heart or mind” (G2588). Jesus described the things that come out of our hearts as fruit and said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 13:33). Paul talked about circumcision of the heart in his letter to the Romans and said, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, not is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:28-29). Paul went on to explain that circumcision was a seal of righteousness that was first received by Abraham as a sign of his faith in God. Paul said, “The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised” (Romans 4:11-12).

Walking in the footsteps of faith means that we are responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Grace is defined as “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life” (G5485). Paul indicated in his letter to the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit, which the reflection in the life of the divine influence upon the heart, is the result of believers crucifying their flesh with its passions and desires. Paul said:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Paul contrasted the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit so that it would be clear to us what God’s kingdom on earth should look like. The fruit of the Spirit is not something that can be seen, but it is a physical manifestation of what is taking place in our hearts and therefore, evidence of the existence of God’s kingdom inside of us. When the divine influence upon the heart is reflected in the life of believers, it is obvious because it is very different from what we typically see in the world around us.

The closer we get to the time of Jesus Christ’s return, the more difficult it will be to see any evidence of God’s divine influence upon people’s hearts. Jesus said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:26-30). Christ’s sudden appearing from heaven will be an unexpected shock to most people. Jesus said, “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day” (Luke 17:24). Jesus’ return will be like a bolt of lightning that jolts everyone into a keen awareness of the immediate danger. As noted in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), there will be no time for believers to refresh their supply of the anointing of the Holy Spirit when the announcement of Christ’s arrival goes out.

We are told in the book of Revelation that the internal kingdom of God will eventually become an external kingdom that will encompass both heaven and earth (Revelation 12:10). The resurrection of the dead is a key element in the transition from an internal kingdom to an external kingdom that is ruled by Jesus Christ. Paul said, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:20-27). The end that Paul was speaking of, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, is not an ending in the sense that there is nothing afterwards. The Greek word telos (telˊ-os) refers to “the conclusion of an act or state.” It is “a noun meaning an end, a term, a termination, completion. Particularly only in respect to time” (G5056). Paul went on to explain, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).

Immortality is the opposite of death, the extinction of life (G110). In order for us to be able to participate in the eternal kingdom of God, Paul said our perishable body must put on the imperishable, and our mortal body must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). Paul used similar language in his letter to the Ephesians where he instructed believers to “put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). The Greek word that is translated corrupt, phtheiro (fthiˊ-ro) means to corrupt in the sense of “to make depraved” (G5351), in other words, to be in a state of moral depravity, exhibiting perversion as shown by a capacity for extreme and wanton physical cruelty. Paul said believers need to put off their old selves (heart desires) because they belong to our former manner of life and are corrupt through deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22). The only way this can be done is “to be renewed in the spirit of your minds” (Ephesians 4:23). The Greek word that is translated renewed, ananeoo (an-an-neh-oˊ) means “to renovate, i.e. reform” (G365). The internal workings of believers’ hearts have to undergo a transformative change, going from a corrupted way of thinking to a godly way of thinking and behaving.

Jesus warned his disciples to not be concerned about their physical possessions when they become aware of his imminent return. Jesus said, “’On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.’ And they said to him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather’” (Luke 17:31-37). The disciples’ question, “Where, Lord?” had to do with their misunderstanding of the internal nature of God’s present kingdom. Jesus’ disciples did not believe that the kingdom of God could exist on earth unless it was in a physical form. Jesus’ response was a reference to the apostate church that will be present on the earth at his second coming. At that time, the physical churches that most people think are filled will born again Christians will actually be filled with unbelievers. There will be no evidence of divine influence upon those people’s hearts. The body of Christ will be perceived to be a corpse that has been overtaken by satanic influence, as evidenced by the corrupt behavior of all its members. The actual body of Christ, true believers, will still be present on the earth when Christ returns, they are the ones that will be taken, raptured in that night (Luke 17:34-35; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-5:11).

God’s economy

Jesus used the parable of the dishonest manager to teach his disciples a lesson about God’s spiritual economy. Jesus began his parable with the statement, “There was a rich man who had a manager” (Luke 16:1). The rich man in this parable represented God who owns and has at his disposal all of the things that he has created, including us. Jesus said that the rich man had a manager. The Greek word that is translated manager, oikonomos (oy-kon-omˊ-os) refers to an overseer and by extension a fiscal agent (treasurer). Oikonomos is sometimes used figuratively to refer to “a preacher (of the gospel)” (G3623). The Apostle Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards (oikonomos) of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). In the parable of the dishonest manager, the manager was accused of being unfaithful to his master. “This wickedness or unrighteousness is seen more particularly in the neglect of the true God and His laws and in an adherence to the world or to idolatry” (G93). This seems to suggest that the dishonest manager was misrepresenting or perhaps, misinterpreting the Mosaic Law to make it fit with the customs of his day.

Jesus told his disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions” (Luke 16:1). In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus also talked about the prodigal son squandering or wasting his property in reckless living (Luke 15:13). The wasting of possessions from God’s perspective likely has something to do with the promotion of immoral behavior. We see in the parable of the dishonest manager that the people were accumulating large debts, to the extent that they were probably unable to pay them back. Jesus said of the rich man and his manager:

And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measuresof oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measuresof wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ (Luke 16:2-7).

The dishonest manager’s decision to cancel portions of the debt that was owed to his master was intended to earn him favor with his master’s debtors. Rather than getting angry, the rich man actually commended the dishonest manager for his shrewd behavior. Jesus told his disciples:

The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. (Luke 16-8-9)

Jesus’ reference to the eternal dwellings makes it clear that he intended the rich man’s debtors to represent sinners that had been saved. Jesus identified sin as a debt that is owned to God in the Lord’s prayer, where he instructed his disciples to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Paul elaborated on this in his letter to the Colossians. Paul said, ‘And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God has made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14).

The dishonest manager’s shrewdness had to do with his understanding of the impact associated with cancelling a person’s debt. Jesus questioned one of the Pharisees who invited him to eat at his house about this. Jesus said, “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:41-43). The Pharisee struggled to answer Jesus’ question because he didn’t want to admit that our love for others is often dependent on what they do that benefits us. The Pharisee answered, “’The one, I suppose for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly’” (Luke 7:43). Jesus went on to illustrate his point by calling attention to a woman who was a known sinner that had anointed his feet with an expensive perfume. Jesus asked the Pharisee, “’Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little’” (Luke 7:44-47).

Jesus concluded his parable of the dishonest manager by pointing out that God’s economy and the world’s economy are based on different types of currencies. Jesus said:

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Jesus compared love and devotion to hating and despising someone in order to show his disciples the difference between serving God who is able to forgive a person’s sin and serving money which resulted in the dishonest manager cancelling his master’s monetary debt. In God’s economy, forgiveness of sin results in the gain of something more precious, what Jesus described as true riches, a person’s love and devotion. Whereas, in the world’s economy, the forgiveness of debt results in a monetary loss and can lead to negative consequences.

It says in Luke 16:14, “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” The Pharisees mocked Jesus because their hearts were hardened toward God and were what Jesus referred to as hypocrites (Matthew 23:13). The Greek word hupokrites (hoop-ok-ree-taceˊ) means “an actor under an assumed character (stage-player), i.e. (figurative) a dissembler (‘hypocrite’)” (G5273). Jesus said to the Pharisees who ridiculed him, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). Justification is “spoken especially of the justification bestowed by God on men through Christ, in which he is said to regard and treat them as righteous, i.e. to absolve from the consequences of sin and admit to the enjoyment of the divine favor (Romans 3:26, 30; 4:5; 8:30, 33; Galatians 3:8)” (G1344). When Jesus said that the Pharisees justified themselves, he meant that they were presenting themselves to others as if they had no sin. The Pharisees did not consider themselves to be sinners like everyone else.

After Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, he made the statement, “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery” (Luke 16:18). Adultery was one of the ten things that God forbade the Israelites to do after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 20:1-17). Jesus likely made reference to this commandment because it was familiar to everyone and was probably being practiced on a regular basis at the time of his ministry in Israel. Matthew tells us, on one occasion, the Pharisees came up to Jesus and asked him, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” (Matthew 19:3). When Jesus argued that a man and woman became one flesh when they were married, “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:5-6). The Pharisees responded, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” (Matthew 19:7). Jesus then explained to the Pharisees, “Because of the hardness of your heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (Matthew 19:8-9).

The Pharisees understood that adultery was a sin that, unless forgiven by God, would cause a person to be excluded from God’s kingdom in heaven. Because they were telling people that it was alright for them to divorce for any cause, as long as they gave their spouse a certificate of divorce, the Pharisees were causing the Israelites to commit sins. God’s people were accumulating moral debt toward God that they had no way of repaying. After he told the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus turned to his disciples, and said, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven time in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:1-4). In God’s economy, repentance is the means that has been established for us to relieve ourselves of the moral debt that we are accumulating toward God on a daily basis. When a person repents, it means that he thinks differently about what he has done (G3340). God wants us to think about things from his perspective. The only way that we are able to think like God is by exercising our faith. After Jesus told his disciples that they must forgive their brothers, even if they sinned against them seven time in a day, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” (Luke 8:5).

Lost and Found

Jesus used the concepts of being lost and found to describe the spiritual regeneration that takes place when a person is born again. Jesus said in his parable of the lost sheep:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:4-7)

Jesus made it clear in this parable that a person who is lost cannot be expected to find himself. Someone had to go after the sheep that was lost (Luke 15:4). Jesus identified the owner of the sheep as the person responsible for the sheep’s well-being, and indicated that the owner had to leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open country in order to go after the one that was lost.

Matthew’s rendition of the parable of the lost sheep focused on the owner’s motive for leaving his other ninety-nine sheep in order to save the one that was lost. Matthew concluded with Jesus’ statement, “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). The fact that God is not willing for even one person to perish and was willing to send his Son into the world to save the lost is evident in John 3:16-17 where it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus indicated that God’s plan of salvation was directed at the entire world. The Greek word that is translated world, kosmos (kosˊ-mos) refers to “The earth, this lower world as the abode of man: The then-known world and particularly the people who lived in it” (G2889). Peter clarified God’s intention of saving everyone and explained why the process of salvation seems to be taking so long to us compared to God’s perspective of things when he said, “But do not overlook this one fact beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

Jesus continued his discussion of those who are lost and found in his parable of the lost coin. Jesus asked:

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)

Jesus’ emphasis of the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents was meant to encourage his listeners who thought that admitting their guilt would result in God punishing them. Jesus made it clear that God’s goal for people was to experience spiritual regeneration so that they could celebrate their triumph over sin.

Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son brought the concepts of being lost and found down to a level that everyone could relate to. The idea of being lost is not about extinction, “but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being” (G622). Jesus said:

“There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.”

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:11-24)

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father did not search for his lost son, and yet he concluded, “Your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32). We are told in Luke 15:17 that the lost son, “came to himself.” The Greek word erchomai (erˊ-khom-ahee), which is translated came, implies motion to or toward any person or place” (G2064). Since there was no external movement, it seems that the coming to himself that took place was internal, perhaps having to do with an inward turning of the lost son’s heart.

Luke 15:17-19 records the internal dialog that took place in the prodigal son’s heart when he decided to go back and ask his father for help. It says of the lost son, “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’” The lost son acknowledged his sin and guilt before God, the initial step of repentance that is required for a person to be saved. Rather than rejecting his son or punishing him for his irreverent behavior, the father of the lost son called for a celebration. He told his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:22-24). The lost son’s father said that he was alive again. The Greek word anazao (an-ad-zahˊ-o) means “to live again, to revive” (G326). When the prodigal son came to himself and made his decision to return to his father, he said, “I will arise and go to my father…And he arose” (Luke 15:18, 20). The Greek word that is translated arise and arose, anistemi (an-isˊ-tay-mee) was used by Jesus when he spoke of his resurrection, saying, “that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:7). Jesus intended the lost son’s action of rising to his feet, or perhaps standing up again after having wallowed in the mud with the pigs, to represent a type of resurrection in which he was regenerated and given eternal life. Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that when a person goes from lost to found, he is experiencing a life transforming event.

Matthew’s account of the parable of the lost sheep includes an introductory statement by Jesus that identifies his purpose for coming into this world. Matthew 18:10-14 states:

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Jesus used the phrase go astray to describe how someone becomes lost. The Greek word planao (plan-ahˊ-o) is derived from the feminine form of the word planos (planˊ-os), which means “roving (as a tramp), i.e. (by implication) an imposter or misleader” (G4108).

Jesus specified which sheep he was looking for when he said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the household of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Jesus’ disciples initially thought that this meant only the household of Israel could be saved, but in the book of Acts we read about Peter’s discovery that salvation was intended for everyone (Acts 10:9-33). It says in Acts 10:34-35, “So Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Peter went on to say, “And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:42-43). Peter said that Jesus was appointed to be judge of the living and the dead, those who are in a state of being lost or have been found and received salvation. This is a reference to the final judgment that Paul talked about in his second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Paul said of himself that he had kept the faith, meaning that Paul was no longer lost at the end of his life. Revelation 20:12 tells us that the lost, those who have died without receiving salvation, will be judged according to what they have done. Afterward, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” where the lost will experience weeping and gnashing of teeth throughout eternity (Revelation 20:15; Matthew 13:42).

An Invitation

The religious leaders that often confronted Jesus made note of the fact that he didn’t associate with the kind of people they thought he should. After Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his twelve disciples, Matthew tells us, “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples” (Matthew 9:10). Tax collectors were hated by the Jews because they were perceived to be traitors that helped the Roman government gain a financial advantage over the people of Israel, who were under their control at the time. Sinners were the outcasts of society, a group of people that were looked down on and avoided by religious hypocrites. When the Pharisees asked why Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners, Jesus responded, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13). The Greek word that is translated call, kaleo (kal-eh’-o) means to call “in the sense of to invite, particularly to a banquet” and is used metaphorically, “To call or invite to anything, e.g. of Jesus, to call to repentance” (G2564).

Jesus illustrated God calling people into his kingdom with parables that used the banquet metaphor. In his parable of the wedding feast, Jesus said:

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:8-11)

Jesus’ reference to the wedding feast was intended to convey “the happiness of the Messiah’s kingdom” (G1062). The book of Revelation contains a section that refers to rejoicing in heaven (Revelation 19:1-5). This section is followed by the marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:6-9 states:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and the Bride has made herself ready; it was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”–for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

The connection between the Lord our God the Almighty reigning on earth and the marriage supper of the Lamb seems to be the inclusion of saints in God’s kingdom. John was told that the fine linen worn by the Bride was “the righteous deeds of the saints” (Revelation 19:8). The Greek word that is translated saints, hagios (hag’-ee-os) means “sacred” or “consecrated” and is “Spoken of those who are purified and sanctified by the influences of the Spirit, a saint. This is assumed of all who profess the Christian name” (G40).  

Jesus continued his discussion of people receiving an invitation into God’s kingdom with the parable of the great banquet. In this parable, Jesus indicated that the Jews did not value the privilege of being God’s chosen people. Jesus explained that God’s motive for allowing others to take the place of the Jews in his kingdom was because the Jews didn’t think they needed to be saved. Luke tells us:

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (Luke 14:12-24)

The master told his servant to go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in (Luke 14:23). The Greek word that is translated compel, anagkazo (an-ang-kad’-zo) means “to compel by force, threats, circumstances, etc. (Acts 26:11; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 12:11; Galatians 2:3, 14). To constrain by entreaty , invitations, etc.; to persuade” (G315). It doesn’t make sense that people would have to be forced to attend a banquet unless you understand that in the Jewish culture, if an invitation was accepted, it was expected that you would return the gesture (Luke 14:12). The poor and crippled and blind and lame were more than willing to accept the invitation to the master’s banquet, even though they were unable to return the gesture, because they knew it wasn’t expected of them.

Jesus explained that there was a cost to accepting the invitation to enter God’s kingdom, but it wasn’t a matter of giving something back to God, it was a matter of self-denial. Jesus told his followers, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). Jesus used a vivid hyperbole to convey the point that one must love Jesus even more than his immediate family in order to be a true disciple or to be considered a genuine believer in Christ. The phrase bear his cross was used with the figurative “meaning to undergo suffering, trial, punishment; to expose oneself to reproach and death” (G4716). “Jesus did not want a blind, naïve commitment that expected only blessings.” Jesus compared counting the cost of discipleship to building a tower and a king going out to war. “As a builder estimates costs or a king evaluates military strength (Luke 14:31), so a person must consider what Jesus expects of His followers” (note on Luke 14:28, KJSB).

Jesus concluded his illustration and discussion of God inviting people into his kingdom with the example of salt losing its taste. Jesus said, “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:34-35). The Greek word that is translated salt, moraino (mo-rah’-ee-no) is derived from the word moros (mo-ros’) which means “dull or stupid” and is used to describe someone that is a “(moral) blockhead” (G3474). Jesus described believers as “the salt of the earth” in his Sermon on the Mount and asked his followers the same question, “if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” (Matthew 5:13). The idea that believers can become moral blockheads after they are saved doesn’t necessarily fit with the concept of regeneration, but the point that I believe Jesus was trying to make was that salvation does not guarantee that a believer will reach spiritual maturity, only that you have received the invitation to spiritual growth and will have to surrender to Him in order to enter the kingdom of heaven where the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place. Jesus illustrated this point in the parable of the ten virgins. Matthew 25:1-10 states:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

All ten of the virgins were invited to the wedding feast and given lamps to watch for the bridegroom’s arrival, but only five of the virgins attended the banquet. Jesus referred to the five virgins who had taken flasks of oil with their lamps as wise and the five who did not as foolish or moros in the Greek. Although we’re not told what the flasks of oil represented, it seems likely that the oil had something to do with spiritual discernment.

Jesus told his disciples that they must be ready for his return because he would be coming at an hour they did not expect, Jesus said, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks” (Luke 12:35-36). Then, addressing the crowds, Jesus said, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, and say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:54-56). The Greek word dokimazo (dok-im-ad’-zo), which is translated interpret, means “to test” (G1381). Dokimazo is used in 1 Thessalonians 2:4 where is says God tests our hearts and in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 where is says that believers should not quench the Spirit, “but test everything.” Dokimazo is also used in 1 Corinthians 11:28 where it says that a person should examine himself before participating in The Lord’s Supper.

One of the ways that we become more like Christ as we mature as Christians is the development of spiritual insight or discernment. Based on Jesus’ parables, spiritual discernment seems to be something that has to be used regularly in order for it to be effective. In his parable of the great banquet, Jesus said those who were invited made excuses so that they wouldn’t have to attend. In the parable of the ten virgins, the five foolish virgins were going to buy oil for their lamps when the bridegroom arrived, “and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:9-10). In both of these situations, the invitation was given, but not acted on appropriately. Jesus’ instruction to his disciples indicates that prioritization is an important factor in gaining entrance into the marriage supper of the Lamb (Luke 14:25-33). Jesus stated, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” “The phrase ‘who does not renounce’ (v. 33) refers not to the total abandonment of one’s belongings but to the proper prioritization of them. The Greek word is apotassetai–the middle voice of apotasso (657), from apo (575), ‘from,’ and tasso (5021), ‘to properly arrange.’ It signifies that believers who are worthy of Christ know how to properly arrange their lives so that Christ is given preeminence” (note on Luke 14:25-33).

Hebrews chapter twelve provides encouragement to believers who are waiting for Christ’s return and tells us that we should not grow weary or fainthearted in our struggle against sin, the inevitable result of receiving an invitation to participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb. Hebrews 12 concludes with a warning to not refuse or make an excuse when you receive Christ’s invitation (Hebrews 12:25) and then, talks about the transposition of the material world into the spiritual realm. This section of Hebrews 12 includes a quote from the prophet Haggai and an interpretation of Haggai’s message. It states, “‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken–that is, things that have been made–in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:26-27). The point of this passage of scripture is that believers need to look at life from an eternal perspective. Whatever things may seem more important to us now than fellowship with Christ will eventually disappear, so we need to keep expecting Christ to return and know how to interpret the present time (Luke 12:56). The writer of Hebrews concluded, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

Finishing the course

Jesus didn’t keep it a secret that he knew at the end of his ministry he was going to be crucified. On one occasion, Jesus told his disciples, “the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death” (Matthew 20:18). Jesus followed this comment with a declaration of his purpose for coming into the world. Jesus said, “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).

Jesus referred to his mission to save the world as a course that he would finish on the day of his resurrection. Jesus told the Pharisees who were harassing him, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow and the third day I finish my course” (Luke 13:32). The Greek word that is translated course, teleioo (tel-i-o’-o) means “to complete, make perfect by reaching the intended goal. Particularly with the meaning to bring to a full end, completion, reaching the intended goal, to finish a work or duty” (G5048). The Apostle Paul used the same word when he spoke to the Ephesian elders stating, “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and affliction await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:22-24).

The course that both Jesus and Paul intended to finish is actually a process that is common to everyone that is a member of God’s family. The writer of Hebrews talked about this process in the context of Jesus being the founder of our salvation. Speaking of God putting everything in subjection to Jesus, Hebrews 2:8-15 states:

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

According to the writer of Hebrews, the fear of death makes us subject to lifelong slavery (Hebrews 2:14). It was because of this slavery that Jesus died, so the one who has the power of death would no longer be able to terrify us. Fear of death was considered to the primary problem that needed to be addressed by the salvation that Jesus provided. One of the innate characteristics of humans is self-preservation. Just the thought of death is enough to trigger a fearful response.

Paul’s statement, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself” (Acts 20:24), was counterintuitive to his human nature. Paul had become so wrapped up in his effort to finish his course that he had lost sight of everything that we would normally think to be important in life. When Paul said he did not account his life of any value, he was referring to his soul “as the vital principle, the animating element in men and animals” (G5590). The soul and the spirit are immaterial parts of humans that are both sometimes referred to as life in the Bible because they are necessary for existence. Generally, the spirit is thought of as distinct from the body and soul. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, pneuma the spirit, psuche the soul, and soma the body are listed together in describing the whole man (G4151). So, when Paul said he did not account his life (psuche) of any value, he meant that his soul was not important to him or the most important part of his being. Paul realized that what really mattered was his spiritual development, which he identified as the course that he needed to finish.

The Greek word teleioo, which is translated course in Luke 13:32 and Acts 20:24, is “used in the epistle to the Hebrews in a moral sense meaning to make perfect, to fully cleanse from sin, in contrast to ceremonial cleansing. Moral expiation is the completion or realization of the ceremonial one (Hebrews 7:19; 9:9; 10:1, 14). Also used of Christ as exalted to be head over all things (Hebrews 2:10; 5:9; 7:28); of saints advanced to glory (Hebrews 11:40; 12:23)” (G5048). Chapter 10 of Hebrews speaks of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as being once for all. It begins with the statement, “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near” (Hebrews 10:1); and then, concludes, “And every priest stands daily at his service offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11-14). The writer of Hebrews refers to being perfected, teleioo in the past tense, indicating that the course was finished when Christ died on the cross and was resurrected three days later, but then applies this to “those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). The Greek word that is translated sanctified, hagiazo (hag-ee-ad’-zo) means “to make holy” and is “spoken of persons: to consecrate as being set apart of God and sent by Him for the performance of his will” (G37). In this context, both Jesus and Paul’s intention of finishing the course had to do with God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Jesus told his followers, “You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). In this instance, Jesus used the word teleios (tel’-i-os) to describe the state of perfection that his followers were expected to reach. Teleioo is derived from the word teleios, which is used “specifically of persons meaning full age, adulthood, full-grown” and figuratively, “the will of God” (G5046). From this standpoint, being perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, would mean that you are performing God’s will just as he would perform it himself, an indicator that you are an adult or a full-grown child of God.

When Jesus was asked the question, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” He responded:

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Luke 13:24-30).

We know from Matthew’s gospel that Jesus’ reference to people coming from east and west, and from north and south, had to do with Gentiles entering the kingdom of God rather than the Israelites who were considered to be the rightful heirs of God’s kingdom (Matthew 8:10-12). The descendants of Jacob, whom God renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28), were tasked with overthrowing the nations that were occupying the land God promised to Abraham, and establishing a kingdom for him on earth, but they failed to do everything God wanted them to. Eventually, the Israelites were taken into captivity, and at the time of Jesus’ birth, the kingdom of Israel no longer existed.

One of the misunderstandings that Jesus’ disciples had was they thought that he was going to establish God’s kingdom on earth immediately. They were shocked and filled with dismay when they witnessed Jesus being crucified by the Roman government. The disciples didn’t think it was God’s will for Jesus to die (Matthew 16:22). Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God revealed his plan of salvation to the people of Israel hundreds of years before Jesus was born, but it still wasn’t clear to them what God wanted them to do when their Messiah arrived. God explained, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the righteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-9).

Finishing the course is counterintuitive for us as humans because we have to act the way that God acts in order for us to perform his will. Jesus told his disciples, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). In this instance, find means, “To find for oneself, i.e. to acquire, obtain, get for oneself or another” (G2147). I believe what Jesus meant when he said we must lose our life in order to find it has to do with the affect that being saved has on our soul. Our souls exist in darkness before we are saved. When we are born again, it’s like a light switch has been flipped and we are able to see things that we never saw before. As our souls are exposed to the light of God’s word, we begin to see ourselves more clearly and can understand what sin has been and is still doing to us as a person. If we try to fix ourselves with self-help techniques or rely on diets or other methods of improvement to change the things that we think are wrong with us, we miss the point of God saving us in the first place. Jesus wanted his followers to understand that being saved is not about us becoming a better person, although that is the result of us acting more like God. Losing our life means that we don’t focus on what will make our lives better, but rather getting to know God and understanding more what he is really like by studying the Bible. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2). Renewal of the mind is what makes a person different than in the past (G342) and as this renewal process continues, we become more and more able to discern God’s will and to finish our course.

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is the last writing of Paul’s that is included in the Bible. Paul wrote this letter “from a prison in Rome toward the close of his life (2 Timothy 2:8)” (Introduction to the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy). Paul wrote to Timothy, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge will award me on that Day, and not only me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). In the King James Version of the Bible, verse 7 of Chapter 4 is translated, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” In this translation, the race is referred to as “my course.” As Paul looked back at the end of his career, his course may have seemed more like a race to him because of the speed at which it passed or because of the intensity of his activity. It seems likely that Paul felt worn out and perhaps tired at this point because of all that God had given him to do. Paul’s significant contribution to the content of the New Testament of the Bible shows that he had covered a lot of ground in his spiritual growth and his discernment of God’s plan of salvation. Just as Jesus, when he was hanging from the cross, said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), Paul concluded from his prison cell in Rome, that he had finished his course and would receive the crown of righteousness in recognition of his accomplishment.

Choosing life

Throughout the book of Deuteronomy Moses talked to the Israelites about the choices that God had made and would continue to make that affected their lives. Moses said, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods…You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there” (Deuteronomy 12:3-5). And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the LORD will choose, to make his name dwell there” (Deuteronomy 16:2). When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to him and to bless in the name of the LORD, and by their word every dispute and every assault shall be settled” (Deuteronomy 21:5). But, near the end of Deuteronomy there is a shift, and Moses calls upon the people of Israel to make a choice for themselves. Moses declared:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

The choice that Moses wanted the people of Israel to make had to do with them making a commitment to follow the LORD and to obey his voice throughout their lives. Moses used the same Hebrew word to describe the choice the Israelites were being asked to make as he did to describe God’s choosing of the people, the place, and the religious practices associated with his kingdom on earth. The Hebrew word bachar (baw-kharˊ) “denotes a choice, which is based on a thorough examination of the situation and not an arbitrary whim” (H977).

The Hebrew word that is translated life in Deuteronomy 30:19 is chay (khahˊee), which means “alive” or “a living thing” (H2416). When God created man, it says in Genesis 2:7, “the LORD God formed the man out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (chay), and the man became a living creature.” Chay is used in Genesis 3:22 to refer to a tree that Adam and Eve were prevented from eating from after they had sinned against God. Genesis 3:22-24 states:

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life (chay) and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life (chay).

The Hebrew word that is translated live in the phrase live forever, chayay (khaw-yahˊ-ee) “is used in reference to life which is a result of seeing God (Exodus 33:20; Deuteronomy 5:24[21])” (H2425). Chayay is used in Numbers 21:9 to refer to the result of the Israelites looking at the bronze serpent that Moses was instructed by God to lift up on a pole. It says, “So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live (chayay). Jesus referred to this event during a conversation he had with a man named Nicodemus about how to be born again. Jesus said, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:13-15).

Jesus compared the act of being born again to looking at the bronze serpent because choosing life involves an act of faith. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:15), and then, went on to speak the famous words of John 3:16-17. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus contrasted eternal life with perishing, “which is spoken of eternal death, i.e. future punishment, exclusion from the Messiah’s kingdom. In this sense it has the same meaning as apothnesko (599), to die (Matthew 10:28; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:54; 9:56). This eternal death is called the second death (Revelation 20:14)” (G622). Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus that the only way he could obtain eternal life was by believing in him, so really, choosing life is about choosing to follow Jesus. Jesus told his followers:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7)

When Jesus said you are of more value than many sparrows, he was talking about the immaterial part of man upon which the word of God is operative, the part of man that is referred to as the soul (G5590). Paul explained in his letter to the Ephesians that the actual spiritual condition of unsaved people is dead. Paul said, “you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:1-5).

Jesus encouraged his followers to confess their faith in him publicly and said he would defend them before God’s angels if they did so (Luke 12:8-9), but then Jesus warned them about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit (12:10-12). Paul explained in his letter to the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our eternal inheritance. Paul said of Jesus, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11-14). The Holy Spirit is given to us when we are born again as a pledge of what we will receive when we get to heaven. The idea is that there is more to come, what we experience now as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit is only a portion of what we will experience when we enter into God’s presence.

Jesus used a series of parables to illustrate his point that choosing life is not a single event, but a daily habit. Jesus told the crowd that was listening him, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). The Greek word that Jesus used that is translated life, zoe (dzo-ayˊ) is comparable to the word psuche (psoo-khayˊ) “which is the rational and immortal soul” (G5590). Zoe represents “physical life and existence as opposed to death and nonexistence…In the sense of existence, life, in an absolute sense and without end…In the Christian sense of eternal life, i.e., that life of bliss and glory in the kingdom of God which awaits the true disciples of Christ after the resurrection” (G2222). In his parable of the rich fool, Jesus emphasized the futility of acquiring an abundance of possessions in order to improve the quality of one’s life or zoe. Jesus said:

“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21)

The rich man thought he could use his possessions to extend his life, but ultimately his soul (psuche) was under God’s sovereign control and determined whether or not his existence would continue.

Jesus told his disciples that they should not be anxious about their life because their life consisted of more than food and clothing (Luke 12:22-23). Jesus asked, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26). The Greek word that is translated anxious, merimnao (mer-im-nahˊ-o) means to be anxious about through the idea of distraction (G3309). Merimnao is translated take thought in the King James Version of the Bible and has the connotation of being preoccupied, continually thinking about something. Jesus didn’t want his disciples to be thinking about where their next meal was going to come from or how they would be able to keep their clothes from wearing out. Jesus said, “But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!” (Luke 12:28). Jesus went on to admonish his disciples, instructing them to, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:33-34). Jesus reversed the order or what we would normally think is the way that life progresses. Instead of saying that desire leads to fulfillment, Jesus said that fulfillment leads to desire.

Jesus went on to encourage his disciples to have a heavenly mindset. The distractions that keep us focused on acquiring material possessions have to be blocked out in order for us to set our minds on things that are associated with eternal life. With regard to his imminent return, Jesus said:

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:35-40)

Jesus used the illustration of a thief breaking into a house to convey the idea of unwanted thoughts preoccupying our minds. Paul said in his letter to the Colossians, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life (zoe) is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life (zoe) appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4). The Greek word that is translated set your mind on, phroneo (fron-ehˊ-o) means “to exercise the mind, i.e. entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction); intensive to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience)” (G5426). According to Paul, choosing life means that we are always thinking about Christ’s return. We are looking forward to the day when we will be with Jesus, rather than continually being preoccupied with the cares and concerns of this world.

Prayer

It might be easy to think that prayer is a quick way for us to get God to do what we want him to. When a fig tree withered at once after Jesus cursed it, Jesus’ disciples wanted to know, “’How did the fig tree wither at once?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith’” (Matthew 21:21-22). A potential explanation for Jesus cursing the fig tree may be found in the parable of the barren fig tree which is recorded in Luke’s gospel. Jesus said, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. ‘Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground.’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ It seems that the incident was a parable of judgment, with the fig tree representing Israel (note on Mark 11:14, KJSB). If that is the case, Jesus’ lesson about prayer would appear to be about believers acting in accordance with God’s will rather than us getting God to do what we want him to. The vinedresser in Jesus’ parable didn’t want to give up on the fig tree, but we know from the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-46) that no fruit was ever produced by Israel, and like the wicked tenants, they killed their master’s son so that they could have his inheritance (Matthew 21:38; Matthew 26:3-4).

Jesus said, “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:32-35). Jesus said these words in the middle of his Olivet Discourse, which was primarily focused on his second coming and the final judgment of all the nations. The dire need for prayer during this time period and the challenge of exercising one’s faith could be why Jesus used the remarkable example of causing the fig tree to wither at once in order to get his disciples’ attention before speaking to them about this topic. Jesus went on to warn his disciples about being ready (Matthew 24:36-51) and watching for his second coming (Matthew 25:1-13) and then, told them the parable of the talents to illustrate the system of rewards that will be used to compensate God’s servants for their faithful service (Matthew 25:14-30) before concluding his sermon with a description of the final judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).

Matthew’s gospel associates Jesus’ most notable and comprehensive teaching on prayer with his Sermon on the Mount. According to Matthew, Jesus stated, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:5-6). Jesus likened God answering a believer’s prayer to receiving a reward. The Greek word that is translated reward, misthos (mis-thosˊ) means pay for service, in the sense of a reward that will be received in the afterlife (G3408). From that standpoint, prayer can be thought of as a type of work, spiritual work that one is compensated for when you get to heaven. Jesus talked about receiving pay for service in his parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Jesus said:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:1-16)

The thing to note about Jesus’ illustration is that everyone received the same wage regardless of the amount of work that was accomplished. Jesus described the master of the house as a generous man who was continually looking for people to hire and one who promptly paid his workers at the end of the day. The interesting thing about the dispersing of the wages was that the master instructed his foreman to begin with the last person hired and end with the first. Jesus concluded his illustration with the statement, “So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16). Jesus seemed to be discouraging his followers from working longer and harder than they might otherwise have, but it seems unlikely that was what he was intending to convey.

The Greek word that is translated last in Matthew 20:16 is eschatos (esˊ-khat-os). Eschatos is a superlative of the Greek word echo (ekhˊ-o). Echo is used “generally and most frequently, to have, to possess externally, to have in one’s possession, power, charge, control: for example property (Matthew 13:12; 19:21, 22; Mark 10:22, 23; Luke 18:24; 21:4). In figurative phrases: to have years means to be so many years old (John 8:57); to have a certain distance means to be a certain distance away (Acts 1:12). Spoken of what is said to have in, on, by, or with himself, i.e. of any condition, circumstances, or state either external or internal in which one is” (G2192). In this context, Jesus’ reference to the last could be interpreted to mean the worst or the farthest away from the kingdom of heaven. The Greek word that is translated first in Matthew 20:16 is protos (proˊtos). Protos is a superlative of the primary preposition pro, which refers to “’fore,’ i.e. in front of, prior (figurative, superior) to” (G4253). In this context, Jesus’ reference to the first could be interpreted to mean the best or the closest to the kingdom of heaven. So, when we think about prayer and the rewards that one will receive for doing it, you could say that those who are the least qualified to do it, will comparatively, receive the best compensation for their work; or that those who pray the most should not expect to get any more than what Jesus has promised them in the Bible.

Jesus’ twelve apostles understood the importance of prayer and according to Luke’s gospel, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus said to them:

“When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:2-13)

Luke’s abbreviated version of The Lord’s Prayer was likely a paraphrase of what was expressed in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13). The key points were showing reverence for God and seeking to be aligned with his kingdom, God’s daily provision, forgiveness of sins, and our avoidance of temptation. In his follow-on comments, Jesus emphasized God’s willingness to respond to our requests, but closed with the question, “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11:12) as if to point out that God is not only willing to respond to our requests, but will give us exactly what we ask for. But then, Jesus concluded, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). Jesus’ statement implied that the Holy Spirit was the good gift that we would be asking God for. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard anyone ask God for the Holy Spirit when they were praying. I think the thing that believers misunderstand about the Holy Spirit is that he has the power to do all the things that we would like God to do for us, but the only way that the Holy Spirit can do them is in and through us.

The harvest

Jesus often described the kingdom of heaven using terms that are usually associated with work and productivity. When he instructed his disciples to take up their cross and follow him, Jesus compared their effort to work and the result of the disciples’ effort to profit and loss. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:23-24). The Greek word that is translated profit opheleo (o-fel-ehˊ-o) is derived from the word ophelos (ofˊ-el-os) which means “(to heap up, i.e. accumulate or benefit); gain” (G3786). The reason why Jesus compared gaining the whole world to losing ourselves is likely because we typically think of ourselves in terms of our possessions, the house we own or the car we drive. The point that Jesus was making was that our possessions don’t define us, but they could determine where we will spend eternity if we allow them take precedence over our relationship with God.

After Jesus appointed seventy-two others besides his twelve apostles, he sent them ahead of him two by two to the towns where he intended to minister (Luke 10:1). Jesus told them:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages.” (Luke 10:2-7)

The Greek word that is translated laborers, ergates (er-gatˊ-ace) means “a toiler” but is being used figuratively to refer to “a teacher” (G2040). Ergates comes from the word ergon (erˊ-gon) which speaks of “toil (as an effort or occupation)” but in simple terms, ergon represents “something to be done” and generally, “of the work which Jesus was sent to fulfill on earth (John 5:20, 36; 10:38; 17:4); that which one has been called or ordained to accomplish (John 4:34; 6:28, 29; 9:4; 17:4; Acts 13:2; 14:26; 15:38; 16:10; Philippians 1:22; 2:30; Revelation 2:26)” (G2041).

Jesus told the seventy-two others that “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). Jesus’ parables of the sower, the seed growing, and the weeds provide us with some insight into what Jesus meant by this statement. Jesus said of parable of the sower, “The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard: then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:11-12). Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower has led some people to believe that the harvest is about people getting saved, but that may not be the harvest’s intended purpose. Jesus said in his parable of the seed growing, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:25-29). Thinking about the word of God growing and maturing into grain that ripens and then, needs to be harvested has the implication of God’s word being alive and/or changing in form. The writer of Hebrews describes the word of God as living and active, “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Greek word that is translated word in the phrase word of God is logos (logˊos). John used the word logos when he said of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Jesus’ identification as the word of God and his role in the harvest is further clarified in his parable of the weeds. Jesus said:

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” (Matthew 13:24-30)

Jesus’ parable of the weeds indicated that the grain was going to be left to grow in the field together with the weeds until the harvest. In his explanation of the parable of the weeds, Jesus made it clear that the wheat represented those who would be entering the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 13:37-43).

Jesus said that the harvest would take place at the end of the age, and yet he sent out the seventy-two others as laborers into the harvest. This seems to suggest that the harvest has both temporal and eternal features. It could be that what we do in the temporal aspect of our lives with regard to the harvest won’t be manifested until the end of the age or in eternity. Paul talked about this in connection with the resurrection of the dead. Paul said:

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:35-44)

Paul made an important distinction about the harvest when he said, “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies” (1 Corinthians 15:36), and then, Paul linked the harvest to an eternal event that he was anxiously anticipating, the resurrection of the dead. Paul said, “What is sown is perishable; what is raised in imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:42). Paul also indicated that a change is going to take place that is connected with the harvest of believers when Jesus Christ returns (Matthew 24:30-31). Paul said:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

Paul concluded his discussion of the resurrection of the dead by encouraging believers that “our labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). This seems to relate back to Jesus’ statement, “The laborer deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7). The reward for participating in the harvest was described by Jesus as wages. This seems to suggest that those who teach the word of God should be paid for their service, but I don’t think that was what Jesus intended to convey or what Paul had in mind when he talked about our labor not being in vain.

One of the events of Jesus’ ministry that is only recorded in John’s gospel is when Jesus and the woman of Samaria met at Jacob’s well. After Jesus revealed the woman’s sin to her, “the woman said to him, ‘Sir I perceive that you are a prophet’” (John 4:19). Jesus then proceeded to tell the woman about how she could have a relationship with God. Jesus concluded with the statement, “’God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he’” (John 4:24-26). Jesus’ interaction with the woman of Samaria was interrupted by his disciples returning from going into the city to buy food. John tells us, “Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, “There are yet four months, then comes the harvest”? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor’” (John 4:31-38). Jesus indicated that there are both temporal and eternal rewards for harvesting God’s crop. He said, “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life” (John 4:36). The wages that Jesus was referring to could be anything from financial blessing from God to increased spiritual discernment. In his illustration of the laborers in the vineyard, Jesus said that the master of the house paid everyone the same wage regardless of when they started working. This was attributed to the master’s generosity. When the workers who had started first grumbled at the master of the house, he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity. So the last will be first and the first last” (Matthew 20:13-16).

The Christ of God

The book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God was able to raise his son Isaac from the dead. Hebrews 11:17-19 states, “By faith Abraham when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promise was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” The resurrection of the dead was the main focus of the Apostle Paul’s gospel message. When Paul testified before the chief priests and all the council, he said, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial” (Acts 23:66). Luke went on to explain that, “a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all” (Acts 23:7-8). Believing in the resurrection of the dead is one of the key aspects of Abraham’s faith that endured throughout the history of Israel. This belief was embedded in Judaism, and was transferred to Christianity after Jesus’ resurrection.

Abraham’s belief about the resurrection of the dead went beyond the general principle of life after death. Abraham’s belief about the resurrection of the dead was linked to God’s instruction to sacrifice of his only son Isaac. When Isaac asked Abraham about the lamb for the burnt offering, “Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son’” (Genesis 22:7-8). The burnt offering was first used in the consecration of the priests after the people of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8). The Hebrew word qadash (kaw-dashˊ) is translated as both consecrate and sanctify. God told Moses, “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests” (Exodus 29:1). Qadash is “a verb meaning to be set apart, to be holy, to show oneself holy, to be treated as holy, to consecrate…to declare holy or consecrated, to behave, to act holy, to dedicate oneself” (H6942). It seems likely that Abraham believed God was asking him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering because he was being set apart for a divine purpose. Abraham may have thought that Isaac was like the Lamb of God that would eventually take away the sin of the world. “Abraham proved that his faith in God was genuine, for he believed that God could bring Isaac back to life if need be (Hebrews 11:17-19). God’s provision of a ram as a substitute showed that he did not want human sacrifices. The only human sacrifice approved by God was that of his Son, the sinless Lamb of God (John 1:29)” (note on Genesis 22:12).

John the Baptist was the first and one of only a few people who recognized Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). On one occasion, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. Luke 9:18-20 states:

Now it happened as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

The Greek term Christos (khris-tosˊ) means “anointed, i.e. the Messiah” (G5547). Christos is derived “from chrio (G5548), to anoint. Anointed, a term used in the OT applied to everyone anointed with the holy oil, primarily to the high priesthood (Leviticus 4:5, 16). Also a name applied to others acting as redeemers.” Peter identified Jesus as “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:20). The Greek word that Peter used to refer to God, theos (thehˊos) is used “of persons, the God of someone, i.e. his protector, benefactor, the object of his worship” (G2316). Identifying Jesus as The Christ of God was Peter’s way of making a connection between who Jesus was and God’s purpose for bringing Christ into this world.

All three of the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ identity differently, but the series of events that follow Peter’s disclosure are the same. After Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, then Jesus foretold of his death, then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” and after that, Jesus was transfigured. It could be that the timing of these events was significant and that’s why it was kept intact by each person who remembered and recorded it. The central theme of these events was identification of and association with Christ and in a nut shell, they conveyed the essence of God’s plan of salvation. It was like Jesus was stating the bottom line of his work on earth, this is who I am and this is what I’m here to do. This is what you need to do and this is how it will all turn out.

During Jesus’ transfiguration, God confirmed his identity and his mission. Luke’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration is as follows:

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. (Luke 9:28-36)

Moses and Elijah referred to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension as a departure and described this as something that Jesus was going to accomplish. The Greek word that is translated departure is exodus (exˊ-od-os). Exodos means “an exit” (G1841) and is a combination of the Greek words ex “a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds), from, out” (G1537) and hodos (hod-osˊ) which means “a road; (by implication) a progress (the route, act or distance).” Hodos is used figuratively to describe “the way of access, e.g., into the direct presence of God (Hebrews 9:8)” (G3598). Jesus told his disciples shortly before his death, “I am the way (hodos), and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The reason why Jesus’ exodus was described as an accomplishment was because it was charting a new course for all who would follow in his footsteps. Jesus told his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). The place that Jesus was referring to is identified in the book of Hebrews as the holy places or sanctuary. In the Old Testament, the holy places were only accessible by the priests, but the writer of Hebrews explains that believers have obtained access to the holy places through the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:1-14 states:

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age).According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

The writer of Hebrews indicated that the blood of Christ purifies our conscience so that we are able to serve God. The conscience is “that faculty of the soul which distinguishes between right and wrong and prompts one to choose the former and avoid the latter” (G4893). The need for our consciences to be purified is rooted in a condition of being lost. Jesus used the term lost to describe people who are excluded from the Messiah’s kingdom (G622) and told a man named Zacchaeus who had received salvation, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Being lost means that when you die, you will be separated from God for eternity. The most important part of Christ’s sacrifice for sin and death on the cross was that through his resurrection he triumphed over death and made it possible for us to do the same. Paul talked about what Jesus accomplished in the context of a mystery and a victory. Paul said:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)

Paul indicated that the Christ of God is the means of our success. Christ made a way for humans to achieve deathlessness or as Paul stated it, to be clothed in immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). Immortality is defined as the opposite of death (G110). Often in the Septuagint, death or in the Greek thanatos has the sense of destruction, perdition, misery, implying both physical death and exclusion from the presence and favor of God in consequence of sin and disobedience. Opposed to zoe (G2222), life and blessedness (Sept.: Deuteronomy 30:19; Proverbs 11:19; 12:28). In the New Testament, this sense is applied with more definitiveness to the gospel plan of salvation, and as zoe is used to denote the bliss and glory of the kingdom of God including the idea of a joyful resurrection, so thanatos is used for the opposite, i.e. rejection from the kingdom of God” (G2288).

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples on multiple occasions. Luke records one of these in the final chapter of his book. Luke said, “As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them” and then, “he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have’” (Luke 24:36, 38). After eating a piece of broiled fish to further demonstrate his restoration to life (Luke 24:42-43), Jesus went on to explain his role as The Christ of God. Jesus said, “’These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:44-47). Luke tells us that Jesus had to open the minds of his disciples in order for them to understand the Scriptures. The implication being that Jesus’ disciples were still not able to comprehend that The Christ of God was intended to die for the sin of the world and rise from the dead three days later (Luke 24:46).